A mass grave on the moors

During the occupation, the Germans had established a temporary prison camp along the airport. Captured Belgian soldiers awaited their deportation to Germany there. Later, the occupying forces locked up there people who defied German authority. In 1943 and 1944, 85 of them were shot, mostly resistance members.

The signs at the graves bore only a number, not a name. How were they to proceed? At the end of April 1945, the decision fell. The Ministry of the Interior had the unknown graves exhumed. Seven coffins contained a nameplate. To identify the other bodies, the ministry appealed to suspected friends and relatives. A particularly painful task. 73 bodies were identified by physique, hair and clothing. Five victims remained unknown.

After identification, all the victims were given a new final resting place in the Maria-ter-Heide cemetery - 61 of them eventually moved back to their home communities.

On 1 November 1945, the memorial honour site where the 85 executed were buried received a memorial stone. Even today, Brasschaat still commemorates the victims. In 2011, a new memorial was erected at the eco-parking near the airport.

Tourist information

www.brasschaat.be, www.kempen.be

Cycling routes

Tourism Province of Antwerp has created liberation routes along the cycle junction network. Cycle and walk past the places where it all happened, for example monuments, military cemeteries and crash sites. For the liberation routes, go to fietsroutes.provincieantwerpen.be